UNDERSTANDING SALVATION LESSON 1: HOW CAN I KNOW THAT I AM SAVED?

Transcription

1 Essentials fr Christian Living Leader s Guide UNDERSTANDING SALVATION LESSON 1: HOW CAN I KNOW THAT I AM SAVED? INTRODUCTION This lessn is part f a Discipleship Essentials mdule entitled Understanding Salvatin. This series f lessns examines the very fundatinal idea f salvatin, and what ccurs in the life f a persn wh becmes a Christian. These lessns are critical fr every believer t understand befre they can effectively share the Gspel with thers. Each lessn examines a cncept frm a Biblical perspective and includes time fr discussin f these principles as well as hw t effectively apply them t yur life. This set f lessns is ideal fr use with discipling new believers t ensure they fully understand these ideas. INTENDED AUDIENCE The intended audience fr these lessns is new Christians r thse wh wuld like a refresher n the basics f Christian salvatin. Thse wh are preparing fr evangelism and discipleship may benefit frm discussin f these ideas. These lessns assume the participant has made a decisin t fllw Jesus and wants t explre Christianity further. The Leader s Guide is intended t help the leader prepare fr the lessns and can be used in cnjunctin with ther Discipleship Essentials materials fund n Essentials fr Christian Living: Leader s Guide 2014 Trans Wrld Radi Canada. Scripture qutatins are frm The Hly Bible, English Standard Versin (ESV ), cpyright 2001 by Crssway, a publishing ministry f Gd News Publishers. Used by permissin. All rights reserved. Unless therwise specified, yu may reprduce any lessn, in whle, in any frmat, withut charge r further permissin. Fr all ther purpses r uses, cntact Trans Wrld Radi Canada by visiting

2 Essentials fr Christian Living: Leader s Guide Understanding Salvatin UNDERSTANDING SALVATION LESSON 1: HOW CAN I KNOW THAT I AM SAVED? LEADER S NOTE PURPOSE The purpse f this lessn is t understand assurance f salvatin. This assurance is fr each believer and fr thse with whm they share the Gspel r disciple. One f the mst critical errrs a yung Christian can make is assuming their salvatin is based n emtins r gd wrks. When they lse the initial feeling f assurance after cming t Christ, they may dubt if their cnversin experience is real. Yu may have encuntered this with believers befre. Hw can we help yung believers base their faith n smething mre slid than their fleeting feelings? We must direct them t the Wrd f Gd. It is imprtant as a leader that yu nt skip ver the Bible passages in these lessns. The participants must see that it is nt yur pinin as a leader, but the living Wrd f Gd that assures them f their salvatin. This lessn is ne f hpe. Try t put uncertainties and fears t rest in yur participants! INTRODUCTION Select tw r three f the fllwing questins t ask the grup. Have yu ever had a mment f dubt when yu were nt sure if yu were really saved? What did yu d abut this? What are the utward signs f a persn wh is saved? What srts f things will they d regularly? Can smene d thse things and NOT be saved r nt have real faith? What is the difference? What can we d t prtect ur faith, and remind urselves f the truths fund in Scripture? Why wuld Satan want t cause dubts abut ur salvatin? Why is are these dubts a pwerful tl fr evil? Have yu had a particularly emtinal experience in yur faith jurney? Hw did it impact yur faith? Hw Can I Knw That I Am Saved? Page 2

3 Essentials fr Christian Living: Leader s Guide Understanding Salvatin STUDY Instruct the grup n the fllwing pints. TEACH Assurance f Salvatin: Everyne has times f dubt in their faith, and times when they must seek ut answers frm Gd. If yu are speaking with smene wh is experiencing a time f dubt, r with smene wh is new t becming a Christian it is vital that they are assured abut whether they have been saved. It is an imprtant questin, and ne that we mustn t ignre. Our assurance f salvatin cmes frm tw places. The Wrd f Gd prmises salvatin t thse wh believe in Jesus Christ. Our Changed Lives are evidence f Gd wrking in us, and the presence f the Hly Spirit within us. Our assurance is nt Based n wrks r the things we d. Attending church, reading Gd s Wrd, and acts f piety d nt save us. Yu cannt lk t what yu have dne as evidence f salvatin. Based n feelings. Our feelings can cme and g. A persn may feel well but be dying f an illness inside. We may feel frgiven, but ur feelings can deceive us. Assurance frm the Bible: The first place we can lk fr assurance f ur salvatin is in Gd s Wrd. It is imprtant t trust that the Bible really is the true and living Wrd f Gd. Why Can We Trust the Bible? The Bible is like n ther bk in the wrld. It was inspired by Gd and is the basis fr salvatin and fr Christian living. It was written dwn by 40 different peple ver a span f 1500 years and yet it is perfectly chesive and abslutely cmplete. The fllwing verses teach us the rigin and imprtance f this incredible bk. Spken by Gd thrugh peple (2 Peter 1:20 21) Gd s standard fr right living (2 Timthy 3:16 17) The actual wrd f Gd (1 Thessalnians 2:13) Instructin fr salvatin (Jhn 20:31) Guidance fr life (Psalm 119:105) What the Bible Says abut Salvatin: Gd s message t us in His Wrd utlines the way f salvatin, and what we must d t attain it. The Bible utlines the facts abut ur sinful state and what Gd has dne t rescue us. We are Gd s precius creatin (Clssians 1:16) Creatin has been brken by sin, and each f us are brn sinful (Rmans 5:12, Rmans 3:23) Sin cmes with a price and a cnsequence, which is death and separatin frm Him (Rmans 6:23) Hw Can I Knw That I Am Saved? Page 3

4 Essentials fr Christian Living: Leader s Guide Understanding Salvatin Gd sent Jesus t pay the price fr ur sins and t recncile us t Himself (Jhn 3:16) Gd prmises that if we cnfess ur sins He will frgive us, and thugh we die a physical death we will be given eternal life (1 Jhn 1:9, Acts 2:38 39, Jhn 3:36) When is a Persn Saved, Accrding t the Bible? There are many verses in the Bible that tell us when a persn is saved. While these passages might seem cnfusing t a new believer there is a very clear pattern. The earliest Christians struggled with this t, and in respnse the Apstle Jhn wrte several letters t churches t help them with this prblem. One f these letters the bk f 1 Jhn is in yur Bible. Read 1 Jhn 5:13, 1 Jhn 5:1 5. Accrding t Gd s Wrd, a persn is saved if: They Admit they are a Sinner (Acts 2:38, Luke 24:46 48, 2 Crinthians 7:10) They Believe that Jesus Christ is the Sn f Gd (Jhn 20:31, Jhn 3:36, Jhn 5:24) They Cnfess that Jesus is Lrd (Rmans 10:9 10, 1 Crinthians 12:3) They Obey the Cmmandments f Gd (1 Jhn 5:3, 1 Jhn 5:18, Jhn 14:15) They Lve Gd s Children (1 Jhn 5:1 2, 1 Jhn 1:17, 1 Jhn 4:7, Jhn 13:34 35) They Have the Hly Spirit (Acts 2:38, Ephesians 1:13, Titus 3: 4 6, Rmans 8:16) The abve pints are imprtant t nte and g thrugh slwly and carefully. Nte where verses direct us t the fact that n ne can call Jesus Christ Lrd unless that persn has the Hly Spirit. Truly believing that Jesus Christ is the Master f yur life, and desiring t d everything He has cmmanded is nt smething that we can d apart frm Gd. We may be able t say the wrds with ur lips, but we are nt able t mean them in ur hearts. Likewise, desiring t bey all f Gd s cmmands, lving thers deeply and putting thers befre urselves is all evidence f Gd s Hly Spirit wrking in us. Ask yurself have I dne these things? Have I gne thrugh all these steps, and d they reflect the true desire f my heart? Assurance frm a Changed Life: The Bible uses very strng language when talking abut the difference between a persn wh is saved and a persn wh is nt. A persn wh is saved has cme alive befre this they were spiritually dead. (Read Ephesians 2:1 10). The differences between a dead persn and ne wh is alive are innumerable s it is with thse wh are spiritually alive! When we receive salvatin, we cme alive. The circumstances f ur life may nt change at all but ur heart and mind are made new. This allws us t respnd differently t every external circumstance. We becme deeply changed peple. The change may be small at first, but given time it will grw! TASK Have participants frm small grups. Ask participants t list changes that happen in a persn s life when they becme saved. What has t happen in a persn s life s they are able t d the things utlined in the previus sectin? Hw Can I Knw That I Am Saved? Page 4

5 Essentials fr Christian Living: Leader s Guide Understanding Salvatin TEACH We Can Trust Our Changed Life: Peple are very gd at acting cntrary t their true nature, and may fl themselves r thse clse t them fr a time. But a truly changed life as a result f believing in Jesus Christ is a miracle t behld. This miracle ccurs in the life f every believer and can be evidence f yur salvatin. Cnsider what happens when a persn receives salvatin: We Were Dead, but Have Cme Alive: The difference between ur life befre Jesus Christ and ur life after is described as being given life. This means that parts f us will cme alive that were nce dead: sensitivity t sin, increased cnscience, grwing desire t serve and lve thers all begin t grw. It may start small when we are babies in ur faith but will cntinue t grw! 1 Jhn 5:12 Ephesians 4:22 24 Jhn 5:24 Rmans 6:4 Ephesians 2:5 Jhn 3:36 We Have Been Given a New Heart and Mind: Befre we were saved, we culd nt understand the things f Gd, r have ur heart desire what Gd desires fr us. Have yu experienced this in yur wn life? Gd prmises us a new heart and a new mind. This ability t begin t understand His Wrd, and desire the right things is evidence f Gd s wrk in us. 2 Crinthians 5:17 2 Crinthians 4:4 Clssians 3:9 10 Ezekiel 36:26 Rmans 12:2 We are Given the Hly Spirit: Anther miraculus gift f Gd is that He in the frm f the Hly Spirit cmes t live inside us! He will empwer us and guide us in increasing amunts. When Jesus was preparing His disciples fr His departure, we read in the Bible that they were very trubled. They were cnfused, alne and unsure very much like many f us tday! But Jesus prmised a helper that wuld be with us always: The Hly Spirit. We can see evidence f the Spirit f Gd wrking in us as ur lives change, and we becme mre like Jesus Christ. We shuld see the fruit f the Spirit increasing in ur life that is, an ability t be jyful, patient, lving etc. This Hly Spirit is the gift given t us as a prmise f salvatin and cming eternal life. Jhn 14:26 Rmans 8:16 Rmans 8:26 Galatians 5:22 23 Acts 2:38 Jhn 14:15 17 D These Things Describe Yu? If smene is wndering abut their salvatin, we can ask them these questins: D these verses frm the Bible describe the change that has ccurred in yur life? Have yu dne what is required f yu frm Scripture (that is, repented, cnfessed and believed)? Have yu received new life, a new heart and mind, and the Hly Spirit? Hw Can I Knw That I Am Saved? Page 5

6 Essentials fr Christian Living: Leader s Guide Understanding Salvatin If they d nt see evidence f these things yu may help them if yu have seen this evidence in their life. If they d nt see evidence f these things, it may be because they have yet t receive salvatin. Yu have an pprtunity t cunsel them in salvatin again! Remain in the Lve f Gd: The verses in this lessn shuld be a cmfrt t smene seeking assurance f salvatin. When we receive the frgiveness f Gd, we becme alive. We becme His children. We can trust Gd t take care f ur life in the present and ur suls fr all eternity. We will need t remind urselves f ur salvatin frm time t time, and cntinue t seek Gd in rder t remain clse t Him. A few final things t remind smene seeking assurance f salvatin are: Trust Gd t prtect ur salvatin (Jhn 10:28) Remain clse t Gd, keep His Cmmandments (1 Jhn 3:24) Keep urselves in the lve f Gd by having mercy n thers, preaching the Gspel and trusting Gd t keep us frm stumbling (Jude 1:20 24) DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Hw wuld yu cunsel thse wh have dubts in their faith? What steps wuld yu suggest t them t make their faith strnger? Hw wuld yu respnd t thse wh suggest that certain actins, rituals, r gd deeds are necessary fr salvatin r achieving eternal life? Hw d yu feel abut yur salvatin right nw? Hw has Gd assured yu f yur salvatin thrugh His Wrd and the Hly Spirit? Hw has yur life changed as a result f receiving salvatin frm yur sins and new life in Christ? PRAYER Clse with prayer. Thank Gd that we have been ffered salvatin, and that assurance f salvatin cmes frm the Wrd f Gd and the changed life Gd ffers us. Pray the Hly Spirit wuld guide participants and remind them f Gd s grace and His prmise that nthing can snatch them frm His hand. Hw Can I Knw That I Am Saved? Page 6